Cloth expander



Patented A10, i926.

ERNEs'i1 EARRELL, or SALFORD, MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

CLOTH EXPANDER.

Application filed December 9, 1925, Serial No.

rhis invention relates to cloth expanders oi the kind comprisinga curved bar, a series of collars revoluble'cn said bar, and a rubber sleeve outside said collars, the collars serving' to support the sleeve.

The present invention has for its object to provide improved means Jfor rotatably supporting the rubber sleeve upon the curved ar whereby the sleevey will rotate with greater certainty and freedom relatively to the curved bar than when uslngrthe collarsV aforesaid.

-According to theiinvention, a series of evenly spaced tubular metal bushes are em ployed, which correspond on their outer hery to the interior shape and diameter of the rubber sleeve. Between each bush and the curved rod of the expand-er are ball or roller) bearings preferably of the sell- .ftllgning type, the inner race rings fitting he rod and the outer race rings litting Anst the inner faces of the bushes, these latter being each formed with a shoulder against which the race ring abuts at one end, and with a grub screw against whichthe other end of the race ring abuts. Between the inner race rings oi the several pairs of inner and outer race rings, are spacing' collars, which to allow of the curvature of the rod, are bevelled at each end. Each endmost spacing collar extends outside the expander and lies between thealast inner race ring and a nut on a screwed part of the rod, so that by tightening up the nuts, the wholeof the inner race rings and spacing collars are held i'irrnly in position relatively to each other and to the rod, and outer race rings. The end bushes ot the rubber sleeve are closed by a tightly litting ring, which on its inner edge is lgrooved to hold a packing ring. Y

rlhe said rubliner sleeve bushes are preferably polygonal in shape on their exterior and the rubber sleeve is of corresponding shape on its interior, so that there shall be no relative angular movement between the bushes and sleeve when the expander is in use.

The invention will be u'rther described with the aid of the accompanying drawings,

wherecnz-e Fig. l is a longitudinal section of a portion of one of the expand-ers, vthe section being taken in the plane of the expander.

Fig. 2 is a cross Sction' of Fig. 1 on line e, 2.

74,420, airain Great Britain October 29, 1924.

' Fig is a face view of one o' the spacing collars.

Fig. 4l illustrates a modification in sectional elevation. i

Referring to Figs. l and 2, a is the ccn-A tral curved rod, which is round in cross section from end to end. e is the rubber sleeve.

andf, f are the bushes for said sleeve, the outer shape of the bushes and the inner shape of the sleeve being such as to prevent relative rotation, and preferably hexagonal.

and c are the inner and outer race rings of the. anti-friction bearings, each outer ring c beingl positioned by the flange f1 of the bush f and by the point of a grub screw (Z, j are the spacing collars, which closely it the rod a, the collars cl lying between the inner race rings b and the collars y' being at the ends of the rod a. A nut z' on a screwed part a near each end of thev rod serves to clamp all the collars and inner race rings together and hold them in position on the rod a. As shown in Fig. 3 the collars may be slitted as at el to allow the ends to converge when tightened up. g is the ring for closing in the end of the sleeve the ring tightly fitting into thev end bush f, having a groove on its inner face fitted with a packing ring 72 to make an oil and dust tight joint between itself and the collar while allowing free rotary movement ot the bushes and sleeve around the rod.

In a modification, see Fig. 1l, split rings m are used between the outer bushes f, the ends of the` rings being bevelled or. made conical and contacting with the ends of the bushes, the purpose of the rings being to support the rubber sleeve at points intermediate off the bushes, while vallowing for the changes of curvature of the sleeve as it revolves.

That I claim is l. In a cloth expander, a curved rod of round cross section throughout and having a portion of its length screw-threaded near each end, a rubber sleeve encircling said rod and extending to points near each end of the rod, a series ot evenly-spaced metal bushes Ywithin and fitting the interior 'face of the. rubber sleeve, the exterior faces of the bushes and the interior face of the sleeve being other than circular, anti-friction bearings comprisinginner and outer racenrings with intermediate balls or rollers between each bush and the rod, spacing collars between the inner race ring of each bearing and the next, further collars on the rod and nuts screwing on to the screwethreaded portions of the rod and against said further collars, which lie between the nuts and the inner race rings of the endniost bearings, and means for supporting the expander at each end, as set forth.

2. ln a cloth expander, a curved rod of round cross section throughout and having a portion of its length screw-threaded near each end, a rubber sleeve. encircling said rod, and extending to points near each end of the rod, a series of evenly spaced inetal bushes within and Afitting the interior face of the rubber sleeve, the exterior faces of the bushes andthe interior face of the sleeve bei-ng other than circulan anti-friction bearings comprising inner and outer race rings with intermediate balls or rollers between each bush and the rod, split and conical end-ed rings between the bushes and con tacting therewith, spacing collars between the innerl race r-i-ng of each bearing and the next, further collars on the rod and nuts screwing on to the screw-threaded portions of the rod and against said further collars, which lie between the nuts and the inner race rings of the endniost bearings, and means for supporting the expanderat each end, as set forth. i

3. ln a cloth expander, a curved rod of round cross section throughout and having a portion of its length screw-threaded near each end, arubber sleeve encircling said rod and extending to points near each end of the rod, a series of evenly-spaced metal bushes within and fitting the interior face of the rubber sleeve, the exterior faces of the bushes and the interior face of the sleeve being other than circula-r, self-aligning7 antifricti'on bearings comprising inner and outer race rings with intermediate balls between each bush and the rod, spacing collars between the inner race ring of each bearing and the next, further collars on the rod, and nuts screwing on to the. screwthreaded portions of the rod and against said further collars, which lie between the nuts and the inner race rings of the endinost bearings, and means for supporting the expander at each end, as set forth.

in testimony whereof` have signed my naine to this specification.

ERNEST FARRELL. 

